What do you think?
Rate this book
Fables
Fables, Vol. 15: Rose Red
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Graphic Novels & Comics (2011)Winner of Fourteen Eisner Awards
Every Rose has its thorn.
As the Fables of the mundane world try desperately to shield themselves from the withering power of Mister Dark, Rose Red - the Farm's ostensible leader - is finally jolted out of her crippling depression and into action by a timely revelation from her storybook past. Her epiphany comes not a moment too soon - as more and more of New York City falls under Mister Dark's malign power, the chances of striking a decisive blow against him are getting smaller by the hour. Luckily, the survivors of Fabletown have the world's most powerful witch on their side - and she well may be the only entity more ruthless than the Dark Man himself.
Including the special oversized 100th issue of writer Bill Willingham's acclaimed creation.
Collecting: Fables 94-100
Every Rose has its thorn.
As the Fables of the mundane world try desperately to shield themselves from the withering power of Mister Dark, Rose Red - the Farm's ostensible leader - is finally jolted out of her crippling depression and into action by a timely revelation from her storybook past. Her epiphany comes not a moment too soon - as more and more of New York City falls under Mister Dark's malign power, the chances of striking a decisive blow against him are getting smaller by the hour. Luckily, the survivors of Fabletown have the world's most powerful witch on their side - and she well may be the only entity more ruthless than the Dark Man himself.
Including the special oversized 100th issue of writer Bill Willingham's acclaimed creation.
Collecting: Fables 94-100
256 pages, Paperback
First published April 11, 2011
47 people are currently reading
3363 people want to read
About the author
Bill Willingham
993 books2,822 followersIn the late 1970s to early 1980s he drew fantasy ink pictures for the Dungeons & Dragons Basic and Expert game rulebooks. He first gained attention for his 1980s comic book series Elementals published by Comico, which he both wrote and drew. However, for reasons unknown, the series had trouble maintaining an original schedule, and Willingham's position in the industry remained spotty for many years. He contributed stories to Green Lantern and started his own independent, black-and-white comics series Coventry which lasted only 3 issues. He also produced the pornographic series Ironwood for Eros Comix.
In the late 1990s Willingham reestablished himself as a prolific writer. He produced the 13-issue Pantheon for Lone Star Press and wrote a pair of short novels about the modern adventures of the hero Beowulf, published by the writer's collective, Clockwork Storybook, of which Willingham was a founding member. In the early 2000s he began writing extensively for DC Comics, including the limited series Proposition Player, a pair of limited series about the Greek witch Thessaly from The Sandman, and most notably the popular series Fables
In the late 1990s Willingham reestablished himself as a prolific writer. He produced the 13-issue Pantheon for Lone Star Press and wrote a pair of short novels about the modern adventures of the hero Beowulf, published by the writer's collective, Clockwork Storybook, of which Willingham was a founding member. In the early 2000s he began writing extensively for DC Comics, including the limited series Proposition Player, a pair of limited series about the Greek witch Thessaly from The Sandman, and most notably the popular series Fables
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 481 reviews
January 8, 2022
Oh, this was so cool.
I remember reading the Snow White Rose Red fairly tak=le a bajillion years ago, and this was an incredibly clever retelling of it that explains why rose Red has been such a shit to Snow White for all of these centuries. Not an excuse, but an explanation for why she was so angry at her sister.
There really wasn't an excuse, and she still comes off as a completely self-absorbed dick, but at least now we know the reason why.
I loved the twist of who Snow's wicked stepmother was, how Charimg found her, and who the dwarves were - although I had part of that picture from Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall.
After finding out the truth of her and her sister's past, you see a change come over Rose as she attempts to really make amends and repair the damage she caused.
You also find out more about how the affair went down with Charming. I hope he comes back because he looks like less and less of a serial douchebag as new things about his past are revealed.
It was awesome to see Rose stop feeling sorry for herself and the things she'd done, and take back control of the Farm.
Gepetto was up to his old tricks in her absence and it was great to see her no-nonsense way of dealing with his new run at power. And speaking of, since Ozma brought an enemy of the old Adversary to the Farm, it will be interesting to see how she integrates into the story.
The second half is the battle between Frau Tokenkinder and Mr. Dark and it's good.
Really, really good. And that's all I can say without spoiling stuff.
All right. That's kind of it for the real story, but there is a ton of filler in here because it has the 100th issue in this volume.
I'm going to be 100% honest and say that none of it was really very good. Probably the cutest thing was the cut-out section where you could supposedly make paper dolls and backgrounds and then the little board game thing.
The worst for me was a short prose story about Pinocchio and Gepetto. I hate reading prose in comic books unless it's just somehow ah-mazing, and this wasn't. I really couldn't give two shits about either of those characters, and this clunky little story would have been a whole lot easier to swallow with less words and more pictures.
There were also Questions From Fans again. Except these were questions from b-list celebrity fans that I'm guessing were friends with the author or something. It didn't give me the warm fuzzies like it did when Willingham answered fan questions the first time.
Still, this had a great main story and I can't wait to see what happens next!
I remember reading the Snow White Rose Red fairly tak=le a bajillion years ago, and this was an incredibly clever retelling of it that explains why rose Red has been such a shit to Snow White for all of these centuries. Not an excuse, but an explanation for why she was so angry at her sister.
There really wasn't an excuse, and she still comes off as a completely self-absorbed dick, but at least now we know the reason why.
I loved the twist of who Snow's wicked stepmother was, how Charimg found her, and who the dwarves were - although I had part of that picture from Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall.
After finding out the truth of her and her sister's past, you see a change come over Rose as she attempts to really make amends and repair the damage she caused.
You also find out more about how the affair went down with Charming. I hope he comes back because he looks like less and less of a serial douchebag as new things about his past are revealed.
It was awesome to see Rose stop feeling sorry for herself and the things she'd done, and take back control of the Farm.
Gepetto was up to his old tricks in her absence and it was great to see her no-nonsense way of dealing with his new run at power. And speaking of, since Ozma brought an enemy of the old Adversary to the Farm, it will be interesting to see how she integrates into the story.
The second half is the battle between Frau Tokenkinder and Mr. Dark and it's good.
Really, really good. And that's all I can say without spoiling stuff.
All right. That's kind of it for the real story, but there is a ton of filler in here because it has the 100th issue in this volume.
I'm going to be 100% honest and say that none of it was really very good. Probably the cutest thing was the cut-out section where you could supposedly make paper dolls and backgrounds and then the little board game thing.
The worst for me was a short prose story about Pinocchio and Gepetto. I hate reading prose in comic books unless it's just somehow ah-mazing, and this wasn't. I really couldn't give two shits about either of those characters, and this clunky little story would have been a whole lot easier to swallow with less words and more pictures.
There were also Questions From Fans again. Except these were questions from b-list celebrity fans that I'm guessing were friends with the author or something. It didn't give me the warm fuzzies like it did when Willingham answered fan questions the first time.
Still, this had a great main story and I can't wait to see what happens next!
July 24, 2023
Biggest volume so far.
I loved the story of rose red and snow white and how rose red handled things.
what about the epic battle between Frau Totenkinder and Mr. dark!! pretty neat stuff.
I even liked the silly things in the aftermath.
Best single issue in any comic i may have ever read would be the 100th issue of fables for sure.
2020 Read.
I loved the story of rose red and snow white and how rose red handled things.
what about the epic battle between Frau Totenkinder and Mr. dark!! pretty neat stuff.
I even liked the silly things in the aftermath.
Best single issue in any comic i may have ever read would be the 100th issue of fables for sure.
2020 Read.
March 23, 2021
In which we get the Rose Red - Snow White back stories and fairy tales; in which there are political shenanigans on the Farm; in which a leader is reborn; and a champion is found to take on Mister Dark. On top of the luscious covers during this period the Rose Red and fate of Castle Black are two total homages to dark fairy tales, with huge dark twists that work really well. It's when fairy tale style tales are told, hyper jacked up with darkness, that this series is at its best. 8 out of 12.
January 17, 2020
I Love this Series. They just keep getting better and better. So much happens in this long volume.
We start out getting a whole issue on Snow and Rose's past and we see how much Rose loathed Snow White. We see their childhood and how spoiled Rose was. Next, we are back at the farm and Rose Red finally gets back to the living world. It's nice how that happens.
The best part of the book is seeing Totenkinder duel with the Dark Man. It is epic and she is a real bad ass. She thinks about things from all sorts of angles and... well just read it for yourself. This is some great writing. We are left wanting more and more and more. I think they can't keep this going, but the characters stay true to their stories and the actions are believable. The story evolves in a rational way. I can't wait for the next one.
I say this with each review. Amazon needs to bring this to the scene. It could be 7-8 seasons easy and so good.
If you like Fantasy & graphic novels, then you need to be reading Fables.
We start out getting a whole issue on Snow and Rose's past and we see how much Rose loathed Snow White. We see their childhood and how spoiled Rose was. Next, we are back at the farm and Rose Red finally gets back to the living world. It's nice how that happens.
The best part of the book is seeing Totenkinder duel with the Dark Man. It is epic and she is a real bad ass. She thinks about things from all sorts of angles and... well just read it for yourself. This is some great writing. We are left wanting more and more and more. I think they can't keep this going, but the characters stay true to their stories and the actions are believable. The story evolves in a rational way. I can't wait for the next one.
I say this with each review. Amazon needs to bring this to the scene. It could be 7-8 seasons easy and so good.
If you like Fantasy & graphic novels, then you need to be reading Fables.
November 3, 2015
I can't help but give this five stars. I love this series very much. It's funny. I can be stingy when it comes for Fairest or Cinderella, but I have trouble doing that with Fables, except Fables, Vol. 13: The Great Fables Crossover lost me because it was too smug I think and also because Jack gets on my ever-loving nerves and he was in that book too much for my tastes. However, we are back on our five star streak with Fables here.
Rose Red finally gets her head together after the very painful and personal loss she and the Fables community suffers. In other to do that, she has to revisit the willful mistakes of her past. We go back to Rose Red and Snow White's childhood as the innocent children of a forest-dwelling mother who meet a friendly bear seeking a place by the fire, and what ensues from that point. I recently reread this fairy tale, and so it was fun to see Willingham retell it here, but add some nuances that point to why Rose Red was such an all-fired brat and the origins of her vendetta against her sister Snow White. She's been in the process of growing up, and it's nice to see that she's matured so much. It comes at a painful cost.
I have to say I'm sick of the Dark Man story arc. I know they needed a big bad after dealing with the Adversary, and the Dark Man is definitely quite an adversary. The battle scenes were pretty epic, and it was fun to see Frau Totenkinder in a different light. I'm just tired of evil bullies getting away with murder, literally. Plus, I am holding my breath because I accidentally got spoiled and I'm afraid that I will encounter an event that I know will break my heart. I love this series too darn much, and there is always a battle inside me as to whether I should keep taking a big break on this series or keep reading. We shall see. This series is awful good to walk away from for very long without getting withdrawal pains.
Rose Red finally gets her head together after the very painful and personal loss she and the Fables community suffers. In other to do that, she has to revisit the willful mistakes of her past. We go back to Rose Red and Snow White's childhood as the innocent children of a forest-dwelling mother who meet a friendly bear seeking a place by the fire, and what ensues from that point. I recently reread this fairy tale, and so it was fun to see Willingham retell it here, but add some nuances that point to why Rose Red was such an all-fired brat and the origins of her vendetta against her sister Snow White. She's been in the process of growing up, and it's nice to see that she's matured so much. It comes at a painful cost.
I have to say I'm sick of the Dark Man story arc. I know they needed a big bad after dealing with the Adversary, and the Dark Man is definitely quite an adversary. The battle scenes were pretty epic, and it was fun to see Frau Totenkinder in a different light. I'm just tired of evil bullies getting away with murder, literally. Plus, I am holding my breath because I accidentally got spoiled and I'm afraid that I will encounter an event that I know will break my heart. I love this series too darn much, and there is always a battle inside me as to whether I should keep taking a big break on this series or keep reading. We shall see. This series is awful good to walk away from for very long without getting withdrawal pains.
June 13, 2022
This mainly focuses on Rose Red as she tries to snap out of her funk over Blue. We see her childhood with Snow White and why she's been a bitch for centuries. I love how it all ties together. Then it's the big slobberknocker between Frau Totenkinder and Mr. Dark. This has been building for awhile as Bellflower has traveled the worlds preparing for this confrontation and the fight is glorious. Mark Buckingham kills it, illustrating this. Because this is the 100th issue, there is a bunch of 100th issue fluff at the end.
August 26, 2023
Well now. This was rather ... meh. Most of the time, we just get to see Rose Red wallow some more in self-pity. And once she finally got her ass out of bed again, her presence was ... only OK. In short: one issue would have been enough for all that.
The only good thing was the fight between Totenkinder and The Dark Man.
No, that is not the ending, I wouldn't spoiler you like that. But I did like the picture overall so here we are.
Also this was the final straw for me and my buddy-reader. We're out. Except for one, all really good characters are gone now and the last one will surely die soon, too. I'm just NOT interested in whether or how the Dark Mann will be vanquished.
The only good thing was the fight between Totenkinder and The Dark Man.
No, that is not the ending, I wouldn't spoiler you like that. But I did like the picture overall so here we are.
Also this was the final straw for me and my buddy-reader. We're out. Except for one, all really good characters are gone now and the last one will surely die soon, too. I'm just NOT interested in whether or how the Dark Mann will be vanquished.
December 4, 2011
This volume was one of the most satisfying in a long while. There was a ton of backstory (mostly involving Snow White and Rose Red) and then an all-out smackdown between Mister Dark and Frau Totenkinder. The backstory is mostly stuff we've inferred from earlier volumes -- Rose Red and Snow White used to be the closest of sisters, and then Snow White went away, and Rose, consumed with jealousy, sets out to destroy Snow's life. So we find out that Rose really was an evil, manipulative bitch back in the day. All of this is brought out by way of forcing her to emerge from the deep depression she's been in since Boy Blue's death. She finally gets up, cleans herself up, and takes charge again -- and she's also seeking redemption.
Watching godlike powers go at each other is always interesting, since you can't take anything for granted. Even when they're defeated, maybe they're not. First there's the North Wind parlaying with Mister Dark, both of them posturing and arrogant as all hell, and both knowing that going at each other would possibly be like a mutual launch of nuclear missiles. Then comes the duel between Dark and Totenkinder. It seemed almost too easy and too quickly resolved, so of course it turns out that it wasn't.
On the one hand, I was kind of hoping that the Mister Dark storyline wouldn't be dragged out much longer. On the other, it would have been a little disappointing if he'd been defeated this quickly. I thought keeping him around as a gold statue to menace the Fables in some future volume, after another few story arcs have gone by, would have been a predictable route, but instead it looks like the war's not over by a long shot.
Now that Ozma is moving into the spotlight to replace Totenkinder, we'll have to see if she can match the old lady's bad-assery. Willingham also weaves a ton of other subplots into this volume, many of them threads that have been dangling for a long time -- the North Wind finding out about his zephyr grandson, Gepetto getting his hands on a new army of (very small) wooden soldiers, the birth of Beauty's baby (for which Totenkinder knitted such an "interesting" onesie).
One thing I didn't like was Snow White's speech to Miss Sprat. "Beautiful people can be mean, and nice people can be ugly, but ugly people can't be mean" is a very fairy-taleish moral, and so I'm not surprised that Snow would say something like that, but it's got unfortunate implications. We're supposed to see Miss Sprat as a bitter, spiteful sociopath, but I couldn't help feeling sorry for her, if that's what all the beautiful people around her have been thinking for all these centuries. Also, I don't believe the "betrayal" at the end -- I suspect someone in that exchange isn't who they appear to be...
All in all, the last couple of volumes are restoring my interest in this series. I thought it was going to flounder after the end of the Empire, and I'm still worried that the Mister Dark storyline could go on just as interminably, but since Willingham says he has no final ending in mind but would like to keep writing Fables indefinitely, just like other long-running comic book series, it may remain fresh as long as he doesn't start phoning it in and it retains the advantage of being continuously written by a single creator. (What eventually killed my interest in most other comic books is that after a series has been through the hands of a dozen different writers, continuity goes out the window and the characters are practically new incarnations each time a new writer comes on board, even when the whole series isn't being explicitly "rebooted.")
Watching godlike powers go at each other is always interesting, since you can't take anything for granted. Even when they're defeated, maybe they're not. First there's the North Wind parlaying with Mister Dark, both of them posturing and arrogant as all hell, and both knowing that going at each other would possibly be like a mutual launch of nuclear missiles. Then comes the duel between Dark and Totenkinder. It seemed almost too easy and too quickly resolved, so of course it turns out that it wasn't.
On the one hand, I was kind of hoping that the Mister Dark storyline wouldn't be dragged out much longer. On the other, it would have been a little disappointing if he'd been defeated this quickly. I thought keeping him around as a gold statue to menace the Fables in some future volume, after another few story arcs have gone by, would have been a predictable route, but instead it looks like the war's not over by a long shot.
Now that Ozma is moving into the spotlight to replace Totenkinder, we'll have to see if she can match the old lady's bad-assery. Willingham also weaves a ton of other subplots into this volume, many of them threads that have been dangling for a long time -- the North Wind finding out about his zephyr grandson, Gepetto getting his hands on a new army of (very small) wooden soldiers, the birth of Beauty's baby (for which Totenkinder knitted such an "interesting" onesie).
One thing I didn't like was Snow White's speech to Miss Sprat. "Beautiful people can be mean, and nice people can be ugly, but ugly people can't be mean" is a very fairy-taleish moral, and so I'm not surprised that Snow would say something like that, but it's got unfortunate implications. We're supposed to see Miss Sprat as a bitter, spiteful sociopath, but I couldn't help feeling sorry for her, if that's what all the beautiful people around her have been thinking for all these centuries. Also, I don't believe the "betrayal" at the end -- I suspect someone in that exchange isn't who they appear to be...
All in all, the last couple of volumes are restoring my interest in this series. I thought it was going to flounder after the end of the Empire, and I'm still worried that the Mister Dark storyline could go on just as interminably, but since Willingham says he has no final ending in mind but would like to keep writing Fables indefinitely, just like other long-running comic book series, it may remain fresh as long as he doesn't start phoning it in and it retains the advantage of being continuously written by a single creator. (What eventually killed my interest in most other comic books is that after a series has been through the hands of a dozen different writers, continuity goes out the window and the characters are practically new incarnations each time a new writer comes on board, even when the whole series isn't being explicitly "rebooted.")
August 15, 2019
Let me be clear- the vast majority of Vol 15 is 4 star rated story, it is the last 25% of the volume that goes off the proverbial rails.
First the good stuff: This Volume has two major points. The first is Rose Red regaining her mojo and returning to lead the Farm. Leading up to this we take a nice detour into the past and learn about the whole Snow White/Rose Red history and it explains much (though I still think Rose Red is a terrible person).
The second part is the conflict that has been brewing for the last few volumes- Mr. Dark versus Frau Totenkinder. This was one hell of a fight and had quite a few surprises in store. I appreciated the way the end was shown. Without being spoilery, it's a fight that will surprise you and shock you as well.
Up until this point it would have been a 4 or 5 star volume. Then we delve into the final 25% of the book and while the short stories are of varying qualities (I liked the Three Blind Mice stories and art), some prose detailing Gepetto and Pinnochhios relationship, then some really stupid "celebrities write in questions"...no really....and then they "answered" these overprivileged imbeciles with a one or two page "illustrated answer". Seriously? Hubristic much? Of course the borderline cretin level of intellect of the celebrities is on full display with questions like "Can I have Snow White's phone number?" from some half-wit from CSI New York. Ugh. Seriously?!! I don't know if the question or the fact that they answered it was the worse act...I am leaning towards the latter since it merely justifies the self-absorbed imbecile by catering to his ego by wasting your time to answer this dreck. Next time? Don't choose celebrity "fans", since these are some of the most shallow, fake, unreal people you will ever meet. It's kinda their jobs. They aren't fans of jack shit but their own reflections. It's reflected in the piss poor questions they asked. These people are "fans"? You sure?
Oh and then you have some cut-outs, some art, some sketches...it's like they added 40-50 pages of shit just to get the page count up. I don't mind the sketch or the art..that stuff is cool. Next time? Keep the celebrity blowhards in Hollywood where they belong and don't cater to these idiots in your books. So due to this crass celebrity-worship, the piss poor nature of some of the end short stories and just overall bad taste, I deducted 2 stars. So there! 3 Star volume.
But the rest of the main story is really good and I look forward to reading Vol 16.
First the good stuff: This Volume has two major points. The first is Rose Red regaining her mojo and returning to lead the Farm. Leading up to this we take a nice detour into the past and learn about the whole Snow White/Rose Red history and it explains much (though I still think Rose Red is a terrible person).
The second part is the conflict that has been brewing for the last few volumes- Mr. Dark versus Frau Totenkinder. This was one hell of a fight and had quite a few surprises in store. I appreciated the way the end was shown. Without being spoilery, it's a fight that will surprise you and shock you as well.
Up until this point it would have been a 4 or 5 star volume. Then we delve into the final 25% of the book and while the short stories are of varying qualities (I liked the Three Blind Mice stories and art), some prose detailing Gepetto and Pinnochhios relationship, then some really stupid "celebrities write in questions"...no really....and then they "answered" these overprivileged imbeciles with a one or two page "illustrated answer". Seriously? Hubristic much? Of course the borderline cretin level of intellect of the celebrities is on full display with questions like "Can I have Snow White's phone number?" from some half-wit from CSI New York. Ugh. Seriously?!! I don't know if the question or the fact that they answered it was the worse act...I am leaning towards the latter since it merely justifies the self-absorbed imbecile by catering to his ego by wasting your time to answer this dreck. Next time? Don't choose celebrity "fans", since these are some of the most shallow, fake, unreal people you will ever meet. It's kinda their jobs. They aren't fans of jack shit but their own reflections. It's reflected in the piss poor questions they asked. These people are "fans"? You sure?
Oh and then you have some cut-outs, some art, some sketches...it's like they added 40-50 pages of shit just to get the page count up. I don't mind the sketch or the art..that stuff is cool. Next time? Keep the celebrity blowhards in Hollywood where they belong and don't cater to these idiots in your books. So due to this crass celebrity-worship, the piss poor nature of some of the end short stories and just overall bad taste, I deducted 2 stars. So there! 3 Star volume.
But the rest of the main story is really good and I look forward to reading Vol 16.
November 7, 2023
Un gran bel volume!
Iniziamo con la storia di Bianca Neve e Rosa Rossa (che finalmente riusciamo a scoprire), e assistiamo al ritorno in scena a pieno regime di Rosa (anche se... chi era in realtà Testa di Maiale??)
Proseguiamo con il duello tra Totenkinder e l'Oscuro (e adesso abbiamo anche il Vento del Nord che sa di Ghost), e nel finale abbiamo piccole chicche come il racconto di Pinocchio o le domande dei vip.
E dal prossimo volume, nuova ambientazione in esilio per Favolandia e per la Fattoria...
Iniziamo con la storia di Bianca Neve e Rosa Rossa (che finalmente riusciamo a scoprire), e assistiamo al ritorno in scena a pieno regime di Rosa (anche se... chi era in realtà Testa di Maiale??)
Proseguiamo con il duello tra Totenkinder e l'Oscuro (e adesso abbiamo anche il Vento del Nord che sa di Ghost), e nel finale abbiamo piccole chicche come il racconto di Pinocchio o le domande dei vip.
E dal prossimo volume, nuova ambientazione in esilio per Favolandia e per la Fattoria...
February 17, 2025
That's one hefty volume, given all the things covered (and uncovered!) here. So we have 2 main topics running so far, one is the impending battle, or actually duel between the Darkman and Bell Flower a.k.a Frau Totenkinder, which ends with her rather temporary victory, but apparently as mentioned by Happ, the Darkman cannot be boxed a second time, what will end this is his demise for good. And thus, it was only natural for him to set himself free and comeback to torment the Fables again so quickly.
The second topic is the awaited return of Rose Red from her depressed camping in her bed, which required a boost in self confidence and her worth, and there was none other that can do that than her own mother, with her revealing tale of her childhood years, and her confession that Snow White never abandoned her, which was Rose's main driver for being the bad girl she was, and her low self esteem.
Welcome back Rose Red, you were sorely missed in the last couple volumes, and let's see how the Pig's prophecy of you being the savior will unfold...
MiM
The second topic is the awaited return of Rose Red from her depressed camping in her bed, which required a boost in self confidence and her worth, and there was none other that can do that than her own mother, with her revealing tale of her childhood years, and her confession that Snow White never abandoned her, which was Rose's main driver for being the bad girl she was, and her low self esteem.
Welcome back Rose Red, you were sorely missed in the last couple volumes, and let's see how the Pig's prophecy of you being the savior will unfold...
MiM
August 8, 2013
One of the things I've appreciated most in what I've watched of the television series Once Upon a Time (aside from the family friendly nature of it) is that it played cleverly with old stories I was entirely familiar with. At its best, Fables does precisely the same.
In this volume the reader is introduced to the different backstories of Snow White and her sister Rose Red. At the same time, some little twists and curious elements in the story are explained .
Again another great continuation of the series, with just enough twists and turns to keep this reader hooked in. The characters, the writing and all manner of different things work together to keep me wanting to read on. At least to the end of the arc...
November 12, 2018
Wow! Another great volume!
January 12, 2014
This is a perfect example why I love the fables so damn much. This arc focuses on Rose Red this sister of Snow White. Her history is told, her relationships are explained in a very real and interesting way. The art by Buckingham is once again superb and the ending is wonderful a character moment which is just great.
December 18, 2011
For being Rose Red's book, she really didn't take center stage except at the beginning. But that's okay, I was never very interested in her. Frau Totenkinder and her magical duel were more cool.
August 14, 2019
Here's a pretty solid one. Good character growth, an exciting final battle, and a cliffhanger. I'm glad Fables can still throw a good punch or two.
April 29, 2024
Now that Fables is in the 'Public Domain', I thought it was time I read the entire series (including all spinoffs and specials) from start to finish in sequential tpb reading order. Here we go!
Fables First-to-Finale reading #26
Fables vol 15: Rose Red
First up, Rose Red gets a history lesson and then takes charge of the farm again.
A duel is declared, and Frau Totenkinder lets loose! The Fabletown population grows by one. Things go according to plan... until they don't. The battle was intense, so it's frustrating that there was no real resolution given the outcome. This volume is packed with tons of extras for the 100th issue. Overall, this is a good edition to the series.
Fables First-to-Finale reading #26
Fables vol 15: Rose Red
First up, Rose Red gets a history lesson and then takes charge of the farm again.
A duel is declared, and Frau Totenkinder lets loose! The Fabletown population grows by one. Things go according to plan... until they don't. The battle was intense, so it's frustrating that there was no real resolution given the outcome. This volume is packed with tons of extras for the 100th issue. Overall, this is a good edition to the series.
April 2, 2018
An Epic Conclusion - of Sorts
I love Fables by Bill Willingham, and though I have a preference for his more standalone tales, I have to make an exception for this semi-conclusion to the Mister Dark story arc.
No Spoilers here - but let's just say it is incredible. Bellflower, a reformed evil, versus Mister Dark, an unreformable evil!
Just incredible - and they throw in a few standalone tales at the end, including a written one, illustrated a few times by Bill Willingham himself.
Absolutely incredible - I recommend every Fables tale, so allow me to double-recommend this one!
I love Fables by Bill Willingham, and though I have a preference for his more standalone tales, I have to make an exception for this semi-conclusion to the Mister Dark story arc.
No Spoilers here - but let's just say it is incredible. Bellflower, a reformed evil, versus Mister Dark, an unreformable evil!
Just incredible - and they throw in a few standalone tales at the end, including a written one, illustrated a few times by Bill Willingham himself.
Absolutely incredible - I recommend every Fables tale, so allow me to double-recommend this one!
February 6, 2018
This volume includes both the untold story of Snow White and Rose Red's origin, as well as the duel with Mr. Dark.
Snow White and Rose Red is of course a much darker tale then history would have us believe, as the girls suffered a lot growing up. The duel with Mr. Dark was somewhat of a letdown, but I have a feeling it's not over yet.
While I don't find the series to be quite as good as the older volumes, it's still fun and the art always fits the story nicely.
Snow White and Rose Red is of course a much darker tale then history would have us believe, as the girls suffered a lot growing up. The duel with Mr. Dark was somewhat of a letdown, but I have a feeling it's not over yet.
While I don't find the series to be quite as good as the older volumes, it's still fun and the art always fits the story nicely.
May 14, 2016
3.5 stars. It's simply no longer drawing my attention. Not necessarily because something happened, it just feels like too much of the same old thing. I might quit or put the series on hold so that I can move on to something else.
February 4, 2019
Everything worth loving in this run gets its moment in this trade.
January 3, 2022
A huge volume in which a TON happens and there are plenty of extras at the end.
This volume starts out recounting the childhood of Snow White and Rose Red. It feels very classic fairy tale while giving us a fresh perspective on the characters.
The next arc is the duel between Bellflower (Totenkinder) and the Dark Man, inter-spliced with exposition from Ozma and Beauty going into labor. The duel was well written and truly surprised me in the end!
There are a few short stories in the end, a Thumbelina story that made little sense to me, a short featuring the Three Blind Mice, and a "long" short story (non graphic) featuring Pinocchio and Geppetto, this last story actually did seem important to the overall story, but took too long to get to the point.
Lastly, there were some "celebrity" questions that were addressed, such as "Who Makes the Fabletown Comic books?" and "Can I have Snow White's number?"
The only thing that slightly bothered me was Snow White's rant against Nurse Spratt, I get that it was foundation for a turn in the story, but it felt very out of place and harsh.
"“One can get away with being a bitch if she’s also pretty. Not fair, but true just the same. Conversely, one can also get away with being ugly as a troll, if she’s also pleasant. … But one thing no one get ever get away with is being both ugly and mean.”
See this post from Girls Gone Geek
This volume starts out recounting the childhood of Snow White and Rose Red. It feels very classic fairy tale while giving us a fresh perspective on the characters.
The next arc is the duel between Bellflower (Totenkinder) and the Dark Man, inter-spliced with exposition from Ozma and Beauty going into labor. The duel was well written and truly surprised me in the end!
There are a few short stories in the end, a Thumbelina story that made little sense to me, a short featuring the Three Blind Mice, and a "long" short story (non graphic) featuring Pinocchio and Geppetto, this last story actually did seem important to the overall story, but took too long to get to the point.
Lastly, there were some "celebrity" questions that were addressed, such as "Who Makes the Fabletown Comic books?" and "Can I have Snow White's number?"
The only thing that slightly bothered me was Snow White's rant against Nurse Spratt, I get that it was foundation for a turn in the story, but it felt very out of place and harsh.
"“One can get away with being a bitch if she’s also pretty. Not fair, but true just the same. Conversely, one can also get away with being ugly as a troll, if she’s also pleasant. … But one thing no one get ever get away with is being both ugly and mean.”
See this post from Girls Gone Geek
July 12, 2011
The absolute best part of the newest volume from the always-riveting Fables world was, at least to me by far, the story of Snow White and Rose Red / Snow White. As a long time aficionado of fairy tales, I was familiar of course with both the well-known story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and also the lesser known fairy tale of Snow White and Rose Red. And like many others have I'm sure, I also wondered about the same name being used in two very different stories. Well, Willingham finds a way to tell the story of Fabletown's Snow White and tie together both classic fairy tales in a completely unique way that absolutely works.
Although the main story line with Mister Dark and his obsession with earth threatening the Fables seems to be wearing a bit thin to me, (Ever since the Great War ended, it seems the plot is grasping at straws) this series continues to provide ample fascination and creative twists. The larger story may be bland, but each volume includes small tales, such as that of Snow White's / Rose Red's back story, the Farm Fables, etc. that keep me reading and greatly enjoying.
Although the main story line with Mister Dark and his obsession with earth threatening the Fables seems to be wearing a bit thin to me, (Ever since the Great War ended, it seems the plot is grasping at straws) this series continues to provide ample fascination and creative twists. The larger story may be bland, but each volume includes small tales, such as that of Snow White's / Rose Red's back story, the Farm Fables, etc. that keep me reading and greatly enjoying.
August 3, 2011
One of the best installments in the series. The reawakening of Rose Red, the attempted defeat of Mr. Dark, the evacuation of the farm, a birth, and a betrayal...basically it was a seriously action packed and intense installment.
I have never been a fan of Rose Red's character but the authors do try to explain her past behaviors, and while it didn't really justify her actions since then, I did understand her emotional states a bit more, and get her character a lot more. And once she pulled her head out of her ass and her body from her bed she really did step up and start putting the Farm back to rights.
Mr. Dark is turning out to be one seriously scary piece of work. Just how they are going to be able to pull off his defeat will be something incredible and a great future installment in the series.
When I read volume 1 I was pretty underwhelmed but decided to continue reading anyways since my library carries the whole series, and I am so glad I did. Seriously. If you haven't read this story before go out and pick up the first 3 volumes and you will be hooked too!
I have never been a fan of Rose Red's character but the authors do try to explain her past behaviors, and while it didn't really justify her actions since then, I did understand her emotional states a bit more, and get her character a lot more. And once she pulled her head out of her ass and her body from her bed she really did step up and start putting the Farm back to rights.
Mr. Dark is turning out to be one seriously scary piece of work. Just how they are going to be able to pull off his defeat will be something incredible and a great future installment in the series.
When I read volume 1 I was pretty underwhelmed but decided to continue reading anyways since my library carries the whole series, and I am so glad I did. Seriously. If you haven't read this story before go out and pick up the first 3 volumes and you will be hooked too!
May 30, 2011
One of the best installments in Bill Willingham's long running series. We get closure, for the most part, on two separate story lines. The first is Rose Red's return to being a functioning person again, after being so clinically depressed following Boy Blue's death. Someone, we don't know who, takes her mother's form and we get the entire Snow and Rose back story and that sets the relationship between these two on a new level. At the same time Frau Totenkinder finishes the quest she began in the previous volume. Her duel with the Dark Man who has taken over Fabletown has two outcomes, and I was pleased with the second. There are multiple added shortstories, because in the monthly one of the issues was the extra large 100th special edition issue.
October 31, 2011
This was a nice volume of the Fables story.
You got to see more of Snow and Bigby's 7 children.
Nice little read and just the thing for an early evening bus ride.
Now that this series is done. I can say it was worth the read. All 15 volumes!!
:)
You got to see more of Snow and Bigby's 7 children.
Nice little read and just the thing for an early evening bus ride.
Now that this series is done. I can say it was worth the read. All 15 volumes!!
:)
September 18, 2015
Another fantastic collection that is jam-packed with many little extras.
May 8, 2020
Damn this series is addictive!
As much as I have had my issue with some of the volumes, I am truly, madly, deeply in love with one of the finest fairytale retellings (with a dark twist) ever!
(NOTE: Those exclamation marks on my remarks are intended and well-deserved by the insanely talented genius behind it all)
In Volume #15, things get even more darker with the Fables coming face-to-face with the new adversary in a bloody standoff, full of sinister magic and engaging battles. With the future of The Farm and its occupants in jeopardy and peace handing by a thread, an in-house political tussle ensues to cease the leadership. The darkness in the past of two sisters re-surfaces as an antithesis to Disney's caricature-ish take on happily everafter as a Rose fights its own thorns to bloom once again. What happens next...well, read and find out!
I adore Willimgham's boundless imagination and his rich, dark, deep craft. The artwork is fabulous and matches every stroke of Willingham's pen. Don't miss the extra juicy bytes at the end of the volume. I especially loved Pinocchio's Army.
Overall, I loved this volume. It left me with a mixture of excitement and foreboding towards the next corner this story will turn. Great series!
As much as I have had my issue with some of the volumes, I am truly, madly, deeply in love with one of the finest fairytale retellings (with a dark twist) ever!
(NOTE: Those exclamation marks on my remarks are intended and well-deserved by the insanely talented genius behind it all)
In Volume #15, things get even more darker with the Fables coming face-to-face with the new adversary in a bloody standoff, full of sinister magic and engaging battles. With the future of The Farm and its occupants in jeopardy and peace handing by a thread, an in-house political tussle ensues to cease the leadership. The darkness in the past of two sisters re-surfaces as an antithesis to Disney's caricature-ish take on happily everafter as a Rose fights its own thorns to bloom once again. What happens next...well, read and find out!
I adore Willimgham's boundless imagination and his rich, dark, deep craft. The artwork is fabulous and matches every stroke of Willingham's pen. Don't miss the extra juicy bytes at the end of the volume. I especially loved Pinocchio's Army.
Overall, I loved this volume. It left me with a mixture of excitement and foreboding towards the next corner this story will turn. Great series!
April 4, 2018
Absolument génial !
March 26, 2012
Rose Red isn't a popular character here in Portugal. I love fairy tales ever since so I had a really faint memory of a story where snow had a sister but don't know how. But I only have a concrete memory of Rose Red as a Fables character; Until about a month ago, when I got to one of the last stories in my Grimm's Fairy Tales ebook. A couple of days after I started to read this "issue" of Fables.
The first chapter follows the Grimm's Tale almost to the letter. Then it ties down to a twisted version of the more known Snow White's story. It ties both stories in a logical way. It makes sense.
It was really good to see a lot of background story explained in a way that doesn't feel like filler. It was important to understand Rose's anger, and the reason why she was sabotaging her sister. And it was great to see her back in action after Blue's death, I'm glad that she is back, I liked her bad girl paying her dues, leading the community role.
On the other hand I also liked this Mister Dark "midseason finalle" arc. We know he will be back, but it closes a lot of "doors" even if it opens more than it closes. It closes a lot of the political games that were beeing played. Totenkinder did her move, leaving Ozma free to lead the witches. Rose is back, and resumes her role as head of the Farm, ending Geppeto's (and Stinky's) claim to power, as well as the Fabletown's leaders.
But then the relocation to Haven will leave Frog in charge and that will be a nice change.
I hope they end Mister Dark's arc fast, he is too gloomy for my taste (and he is supposed to) but he is a really dark shadow in the sunshine of Fables world.
And last the treats at the end of the book. Loved the puppet theater. It must look gorgeous in glossy paper (it still looks amazing in the trades paper). And the Escape to Wolf Manor game? I want to play that game. I hope there's a printable version of the board somewhere, because I'm going to wait until my friends read the issue (because of the spoilers in the rules) and then we will play it. The pencils at the very are to drool for. In particular the Castle drawings. Loved them.
And have I said that issue 100 was in this trade? With a 2 page splash of the cover to celebrate.
The first chapter follows the Grimm's Tale almost to the letter. Then it ties down to a twisted version of the more known Snow White's story. It ties both stories in a logical way. It makes sense.
It was really good to see a lot of background story explained in a way that doesn't feel like filler. It was important to understand Rose's anger, and the reason why she was sabotaging her sister. And it was great to see her back in action after Blue's death, I'm glad that she is back, I liked her bad girl paying her dues, leading the community role.
On the other hand I also liked this Mister Dark "midseason finalle" arc. We know he will be back, but it closes a lot of "doors" even if it opens more than it closes. It closes a lot of the political games that were beeing played. Totenkinder did her move, leaving Ozma free to lead the witches. Rose is back, and resumes her role as head of the Farm, ending Geppeto's (and Stinky's) claim to power, as well as the Fabletown's leaders.
But then the relocation to Haven will leave Frog in charge and that will be a nice change.
I hope they end Mister Dark's arc fast, he is too gloomy for my taste (and he is supposed to) but he is a really dark shadow in the sunshine of Fables world.
And last the treats at the end of the book. Loved the puppet theater. It must look gorgeous in glossy paper (it still looks amazing in the trades paper). And the Escape to Wolf Manor game? I want to play that game. I hope there's a printable version of the board somewhere, because I'm going to wait until my friends read the issue (because of the spoilers in the rules) and then we will play it. The pencils at the very are to drool for. In particular the Castle drawings. Loved them.
And have I said that issue 100 was in this trade? With a 2 page splash of the cover to celebrate.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 481 reviews